The invention relates to a monitoring and control device for an assembly machine designed to perform a winding operation of at least one wire element onto a main cable to form a wound cable, said assembly machine being equipped with actuators comprising:
a winding head which guides said wire element wound on at least one feeder coil, PA1 a first head motor for driving the winding head in rotation, PA1 a second motor for driving in rotation a receiver coil on which said wound cable is wound, PA1 and means for mechanical tensioning of the wire element when the winding phase takes place, PA1 an optical measuring apparatus containing at least one light emitter for projection of a light beam onto the wire element, and a receiver for sensing the reflected light beam with production of a measurement signal, PA1 a processing circuit with microprocessor designed to receive said measurement signal and to send control and/or adjustment signals to said actuators, PA1 and an external control means comprising in particular a microcomputer for input of the automatic operation parameters of the assembly machine according to a predetermined program of the processing circuit. PA1 lapping, i.e. winding of a wire element in turns which may be joined or not in general on a central cable. PA1 stranding, i.e. winding of several wire elements respecting a previously defined winding pitch (distance measured on the central cable between the beginning and the end of winding, having the same reference on the circumference of the cable at the beginning and end of winding). PA1 taping, coating a central cable with one or more strips, PA1 an operation consisting in creating a braiding around a central cable, this braiding being formed by several flat strips, a flat strip being constituted by several wire elements or by individual wire elements wound around the central cable and alternating with one another so as to form one or more braiding layers around the central cable, notably to form a coaxial cable. The braiding may constitute a meshing of several flat strips formed by several wire elements. Such a braiding can be used for example to constitute a shielding for the central cable, or any other protection for the central cable, PA1 a braiding performed on itself, i.e. without being applied around a central cable, so as to form a solid braid or a hollow braid. PA1 measurement, on the taut wire element drawn between the winding head and the place of winding itself, of the reflection intensity of an incident light beam; PA1 measurement, on the taut wire element drawn between the winding head and the place of winding itself, of the oscillation amplitude of the specular reflection angle of an incident light beam, this oscillation amplitude being representative of the tension of the wire element in the course of winding; PA1 implementation, on the taut wire element drawn between the winding head and the place of winding itself, of one of the measurements mentioned above only during a time window defined by a continuous means of the angular position of the winding head, in order to select a single specific wire element which is subjected to this measurement; PA1 measurement, on the taut wire element drawn between the winding head and the place of winding itself, of the presence/absence of the reflection intensity of an incident light beam for continuous measurement of the angular position of the winding head. PA1 selecting and adapting a specific type of optical measuring device on the machine the characteristics of which device are compatible with the type of wire element used, PA1 selecting and adapting a specific type of power communication component on the machine the characteristics of which component are compatible with the type of functional apparatus which it is designed to control automatically, PA1 and selecting and adapting a specific device on the machine enabling the power communication component to be made operational, during operation of the machine, while deactivating the initial manual control of the functional apparatus of the assembly machine which this component has to control automatically, and to deactivate this component while making the initial manual control operational when the user wants to perform a manual control of this functional apparatus instead of automatic control thereof. PA1 the existing assembly machines globally represent a relatively large pool of machines, but which includes a large diversity of types of machine (for example vertical or horizontal axis machines, machines for winding a single strand or for winding a large number of strands, automatic or manual control machines); PA1 for a machine of a particular type, winding operations of different types can be performed (for example stranding, lapping, taping or braiding); PA1 for a particular winding operation, wire elements of very different natures can be processed (for example certain wires are highly reflecting and others have a very low reflection, certain wires are thick and others are very thin, for example a few micrometers). PA1 the microprocessor of the processing circuit receives and samples data coming from the optical measuring apparatus to know the position of the wire element and its behaviour in mechanical vibration in real time before the wire element is wound onto the main cable, PA1 storage means, notably an EPROM memory, are programmed to generate a self-correction function should a drift of the position and vibration data of the wire element occur, PA1 and electrical control means of the first motor, of the second motor, and of the mechanical tensioning means are arranged to re-establish optimum operation of the assembly machine.
said monitoring and control device comprising:
The present invention relates in a general manner to an assembly machine designed to perform a winding operation of at least one wire element.
More precisely the invention relates to a monitoring and control device with real time data sampling for such an assembly machine.
The invention can apply for example to an assembly machine designed to wind wire elements together on one another or with one another, and it can also apply to an assembly machine designed to wind one or more peripheral wire elements onto a central cable. These elements can be metallic or composed of other materials.
Henceforth in the text the term wire element shall refer to any object in the form of a cable or wire whose cross section may have any shape (the wire element being able for example to be a thin strip), but is in most cases of appreciably circular general shape constant over its whole length. Such a wire element can constitute a simple wire object performing an essentially mechanical function (for example a reinforcing wire or an insulating or protective strip), or can constitute a cable including one or more wires performing transmission of an energy or a signal in electrical, magnetic, optical or any other form.
Henceforth in the text the term central cable shall refer to any wire element as defined above, but whose stiffness or tensile strength is in a general manner relatively high to enable another wire element to be wound around this central wire element.
Henceforth in the text the term `peripheral wire element` shall refer to any wire element as defined above, but whose stiffness is in a general manner lower than that of the central wire element so that the peripheral wire element can be wound around the central cable.
However a central cable with a lower stiffness than that of the peripheral wire element could also be envisaged, without departing from the spirit of the invention, wherein the central cable is held with a sufficiently high tension for it to however be possible to wind the peripheral wire element around the central cable.
Henceforth in the text the term `winding operation` shall refer to any operation performed by the device according to the present invention designed to cause winding of at least one wire element on or with at least another wire element or on a central cable.
Among such possible winding operations, the following examples can be given:
Henceforth in the text the term `assembly machine` shall refer to any machine enabling such possible winding operations to be performed, even if these machines perform, instead of an assembly proper, a braiding, a taping, a lapping, a stranding, or an operation similar thereto.